Field of the Disclosure
This disclosure relates generally to power management of integrated circuits (ICs) in electronic devices and, more specifically, to switching a source of power for a circuit to reduce power consumption.
Description of Related Art
Power consumption of electronic devices is an increasingly important concern in the design and use of the electronic devices. From a global perspective, a multitude of electronic devices available for businesses and consumers consume significant amounts of power. Accordingly, efforts are made to lower the power consumption of electronic devices to help conserve the earth's resources and corresponding costs to the businesses and consumers. From an individual perspective, the prevalence of personal computing devices that are powered by batteries continues to increase. The less energy that is consumed by a portable battery-powered electronic device, the longer the portable device may operate without recharging the battery. Lower energy consumption also enables the use of smaller batteries and therefore the adoption of smaller and thinner form factors for portable electronic devices. Consequently, the popularity of portable electronic devices also provides a strong motivation to lower the power consumption of electronic devices.
Generally, if an electronic device operates at a lower voltage, the electronic device consumes less power. Hence, one conventional approach to reducing power consumption involves lowering a voltage that powers an electronic device. For example, over the last couple of decades voltages powering integrated circuits (ICs) of electronic devices have been lowered from approximately five volts (5V) to approximately one volt (1V) as process technologies for manufacturing the integrated circuits have advanced. Other conventional approaches have been developed that support switching between voltage levels at different times. These conventional approaches, however, may use an amount of power as a result of a switching function that is greater than an amount saved by switching voltages. Furthermore, switching between voltage levels may reduce a level of reliability at which load circuitry is capable of fulfilling assigned computing tasks.